NBA: Stephen Curry out for Game 2 with ankle injury

OAKLAND â" NBA MVP Stephen Curry was out for the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Monday night because of an injured right ankle.

Curry cut short his pregame routine after appearing to be in discomfort dealing with the tender ankle.

He began his extensive warmup routine before leaving the court about 5 minutes later, putting little pressure on the ankle while taking several shots.

The Warriors had waited to make a final decision on Curryâs status until he tried to warm up, then made the announcement about an hour before tipoff. He didnât take part in the morning shootaround on Monday or practice on Sunday after getting hurt late in the first half of his teamâs Game 1 win Saturday.

Shaun Livingston moved into the starting lineup in Curryâs place. Livingston, who left Sundayâs practice with an illness, averaged 6.3 points and 3.0 assists this season.

Curry received treatment Sunday and Monday. He took the court some 90 minutes before tipoff and first went through his normal dribbling session before he started shooting.

At one point, Curry lined up to try a long jumper from the right wing but didnât release the ball and hopped in apparent pain before throwing the ball in the air, clearly frustrated. He left the court at Oracle Arena moments later.

Coach Steve Kerr said he and Curry had a long chat earlier in the day.

âWe will definitely err on the side of caution. If heâs not right, then heâs not going to play,â Kerr said. âItâs not worth risking turning this into a long-term issue. â¦ We had a good conversation today before shootaround. Steph is a very rational person. Heâs easy to speak with. We kind of went over the different scenarios. He understands we have, first of all, his best interest at heart, his career. We know that he had surgery on that ankle four years ago. Heâs got a lot of basketball ahead of him. â¦ I do know that we have to look after his health because the competitor that he is heâs going to want to play.â

Curry injured his right ankle when he landed awkwardly Saturday. He tried to come back in the second half before being quickly pulled by Kerr, who noticed Curry wasnât right.

âIâm preparing as if heâs not going to play because you donât want to be surprised at a game-time decision,â teammate Klay Thompson said. âSo weâre preparing as if heâs not going to be out there.â

Golden State already beat the Rockets once this season without Curry, winning 114-110 in Houston on Dec. 31. Thompson picked up much of the scoring load with 38 points that game and Andre Iguodala added 20.

âI think their small lineup is still unconventional,â interim Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. âThey still have guys that can shoot it and can score, and guys that move well without the ball. I think their system doesnât change. Theyâll still play the same way. Theyâll push it at you, theyâll still shoot a ton of 3s. Theyâll continue to move. So you have to be prepared for that.â

Thompson said it will take more than just him to replace Curryâs league-leading 30.1 points per game and everything else he offers.

âObviously 30 points out of the lineup, a lot of playmaking, a lot of easy buckets,â Thompson said. âWe just have to do it in a more meticulous way as far as moving the ball, being more patient. Without Steph in the lineup, we donât have those easy looks in transition he usually gives us. We just got to do it even more as a team now and rely heavily on our defense and get out on transition.â

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